[fermuch]

It might be related to the hostility of the environment. The chips aren't radiation proof, so it is expected to have some bit flops due to radiation.

[x86_64Ubuntu]

Why on earth wouldn't they use rad-proofed chips on a planet closer to the sun, with virtually no atmosphere compared to earth?

[dieortin]

Because it’s a vital part of the mission, using off the shelf components in Mars...

Of course they use rad-proofed chips in the rover. But using a newer Qualcomm processor instead of an ancient chip was a big part of the idea.

[AnimalMuppet]

Um, it's not closer to the sun...

[quenix]

It’s actually further from the sun by around 100 million km.